Edo guber: APC screens Obaseki, Ize – Iyamu, 3 others

…I know I’ll not get justice – Edo Gov

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, former Secretary to Edo State government, Pastor Osagie Ize – Iyamu, former deputy governor of the state, Pius Odubu and one-time Works minister, Chris Ogiemwonyi, were on Wednesday screened by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo State governorship screening committee.

However, uncertainty earlier surrounded Obaseki’s screening as the state governor stormed out of the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, venue of the screening couple of minutes after his arrival, only to resurface shortly before 8.00pm for the exercise.

Obaseki, who was the second aspirant to arrive after Osaro Obaze, earlier came in at 1.02pm with few of his aides and went straight to the NWC Hall venue of the screening.

Not quite ten minutes later, the governor came down, headed for his awaiting vehicle and zoomed off without uttering a word.

The governor later came to the party secretariat and was engaged by the committee till about 9.23pm.

The sixth aspirant, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, hopefully will be screened today, which is the last day for the exercise.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the screening committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, has said the committee is neither a judicial or investigative panel.

APC alleges ploy by Oshiomhole to gift Edo to opposition

Rather, he said the committe inaugurated on Tuesday is saddled with the responsibility of verifying documents and claims submitted by each of the six aspirants jostling for the APC governorship ticket.

He told journalists at the commencement of their assignment at the party’s national secretariat that the committee took the challenge not because It was easy, but complex, adding that the integrity of the committee members are at stake.

He stated: “So, that is what we are going to be dealing with and I urge as gentlemen of the press, the success of this exercise, the progress we have achieved in sustaining democracy, you can either make or mar it.

“Investigative journalism is something that I will encourage so that the report can be based on fact, not on hearsay, not on assumptions, not on just market analysis.

“But you can make our work easier if reports are based on facts. I am the Chairman of the committee and I find it necessary for us to have this understanding that any statement has to be official or has to be sourced”.

Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki said he participated in the screening exercise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants just for formality sake as he knew he will not get justice from the seven man screening committee.

Coming out of the late night exercise on Wednesday, Obaseki told journalists that he has no confidence in the exercise, the outcome of which he said will be influenced by party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

He said: “The last time I came here, I asked that Oshiomhole recuse himself from the process in the interest of peace and justice. But as a party man, I have had to go through the screening like everybody else.

“Since he is the judge and the jury in this matter, I will just wait for the outcome of the screening. I have given them all the information they need; the controversial certificate from the University of Ibadan has been tendered.

“Like I said, as a party man I have gone through the screening process but I do not believe that I will get justice because Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is an interested party in the Edo process.

“One of the questions that was asked was why did I issue a gazette that will prevent the party from performing direct elections in Edo. That did I not see it as an anti-party activity? I just felt that if we put politics above the lives of the people of Edo State, we may be missing the point”.